Temples and temples... Bagan!

Bagan is a special place. I visited in November with a friend and I've had this post in draft ever since. It is probably one of the most photographed and visited places in Myanmar, so perhaps it's been a little intimidating to find my angle.

Anyway, it's about time I get this post up! I was lucky to be able to take a personal day, so we made the one hour flight from Yangon early on a Friday morning in November. Bagan had been on the top of my list of places to go, ever since I found out I was moving to Myanmar. I'll walk you through my adventure in Bagan.

Day 1:

I had arranged a car and tour guide for our first day of exploring and they were waiting for us at the airport. The guide helped us purchase our pass to the "Bagan Archaeological Zone" - the pass lets you into the whole area. Then we were off to see our first temple!

Glistening gold in the early morning sunshine.

Path to another temple, note sand paintings for sale on the right side. 

Because Bagan covers a huge area, it's helpful to hire a car to get around. Our guide spoke great English, gave us lots of background on the temples and answered all of our questions. We explored several temples, weaving our way down dusty roads.

Meandering around Bagan.

We got to climb up this one!

Shoes stay outside; these are holy sites. 

View from the top!

Taking a rest to take in the view.

I'm in Bagan!

You are always wondering what it looks like around the next corner...

So what's inside these temples? Lots of images of Buddha. 

After a busy morning of exploring, we opted for a traditional Myanmar lunch. They call this a "buffet," but you don't get up and serve yourself. Many meat, vegetable and fish dishes are brought to the table, along with rice and various sauces. Then, you serve what you like, adding sauce and sides to personalize your dish. If one of the plates empties, a fresh and full one is soon soon replaces the empty dish.

Cheers to a successful morning of site-seeing. 

After lunch, we checked into our hotel to rest and refresh. However, it wasn't long before our ride was back and our organized guide explained that the next stop would be a lacquerware workshop. After this visit, I have a whole new appreciation for how much time and work goes into a single piece!

First stages of lacquer ware. Check out how he uses his toes.

A display showing the steps to finished piece. Start with the bottom left and follow the pieces around in a backward "C" shape.

Close-up of the end result. Truly an art form!

Women working in the shop. Traditional lacquer ware is all made by hand.

Before long, it was time to see more temples. The artifacts inside varied, as did the state of each one. Some were well-kept, but many are crumbling. 

Next up was a temple climb to take in the sunset view. It is gorgeous, but most tourists have the same idea, so it's not a quiet or calm temple stop.

Sunset over Bagan

Hanging around after the sun goes down and crowds disperse. 

Day 2:
The next day my friend and I decided to go exploring independently. One of the amazing things about Bagan is that you can get lost in the fields of temples and discover rarely visited ruins. Bagan is a living archeological zone; the caregivers of the smaller temples live behind them and are continually adding to, or keeping up the structures and the art they contain.

Turn down a dusty road, find a temple

One of the first stops in my wanderings brought me to a small temple and the owner showed me the art inside and then eagerly supplied a bamboo ladder so that I could climb to the roof.

Selfie on top of a temple

Next, I caught a horse cart ride and bumped my way towards another of the bigger and more visited sites.

Approach from the horse cart

Most temples have one, or many buddhas, inside.

This spot is especially famous for its mystery: secret corridors, walled off tunnels and hidden windows are just some of its surprises.

Climbing up a hidden staircase

View looking out at Bagan

Walking up to a ledge; remember, no shoes in temples!

Dark hallways give the impression that you are in an Indiana Jones movie.

Another angle.

Secret staircase - I had to climb it!

View down the steps.

Next I rented an electric bike, an absolutely great way to get around! (It comes with a helmet, Mom!)

The Irrawaddy River. Just going around on my bike!

Another rooftop view.

This passage is locked. Oh, the mystery!

As the sun drifted down in the sky, I knew exactly what my sunset plans were. I pointed my bike in the direction of my friendly morning host and his temple and made my way to my own private sunset viewing from the morning temple. It was such a contrast to the noise and crowds from the night before, but the sunset was equally breathtaking. 

The next day I took a day trip from Bagan to Mount Popa and then flew back to Yangon in time to log in to my virtual class by 7:30pm. It was a very full weekend and you must visit Bagan when you come to Myanmar! 

Mount Popa is a topic for another post! I hope you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of Bagan. And, I hope to be more timely with my blogging as my second year in Myanmar begins. 

Here's what I read this summer (the plus side of lots of flying time!):

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed (Loved it!)
• The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
• Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut (he's still one of my favorites!)
• Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence (somehow I got out of high school without reading this one)
• Tijuana, crimen y olvido de Luis Humberto Crosthwaite (keeping up with my Spanish)

Still working on:

• Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School by Andrew Hallam (Good advice for anyone, not just teachers!)
• Change Your Mind by Paramananda
• The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson
• Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

That's is an interesting combination... I bet you won't see these three titles together anywhere else!